Jealousy
by RubyPele
Summary: Dar'mee, a Khajiit thief, can't escape her feelings for Brynjolf, no matter where she goes. Originally written for the kink meme.


_I wrote this little scene for a prompt on the kink meme. I'm trying to kick start my creativity a little to get back into the habit of writing, now that school's in and I have a little time for myself. And now that my mind is returning to Skyrim, I should be able to finish my main story. I thought people might enjoy reading this though, as rough and short as it is._

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Dar'mee stopped in front of the entrance to the Ragged Flagon, trying to calm the roiling of her stomach and still the trembling of her hands before joining her fellow thieves. She cursed herself for having gotten into this state-and over a Nord, no less! Rarely did she meet a man who made her so completely lose control of her emotions, but Brynjolf had managed to claim her heart without having tried or even noticed he had it. She stubbornly pushed thoughts of his mischievous green eyes from her mind, took a deep breath, and entered the Flagon.

She was outwardly calm as she made her way to Delvin, having snagged some mead from Vekel. Sitting down across from him, she pulled a ring from a pocket and tossed it to him with a smile. As she pocketed her pay and asked for a new job, she heard Vekel's voice raising behind her.

"What's this I hear about you and Brynjolf?" he demanded. Dar'mee froze for a second at the mention of Brynjolf, before continuing her business with Delvin and trying to act as if she wasn't focused on the argument in the background.

"How dare you!" Tonilia yelled back. "After all we've been through!"

Just then, Delvin asked her a question. "Uh..." Dar'mee stalled, replaying the last few seconds in her head. "Fishing, I guess." He passed her a paper as Tonilia strode past them angrily. She heard Vekel sigh frustratedly from behind her and start sweeping. Nodding to Delvin, she drained the last of her mead and stood.

Spotting Vex, she headed towards her. As she rounded the corner, she saw that Tonilia was talking to her, still upset. She paused, almost deciding to turn back, but her curiosity won out and she continued.

"...know that he flirts with everyone like that?" Vex was responding. "Even me, and he knows _that_ will never happen again."

"It wasn't just the flirting, though, it was the time we..." Tonilia started to say, but the two women stopped talking as Dar'mee neared their table. She remained silent, glowering mostly in Vekel's direction as Dar'mee and Vex conducted their business.

Knowing she was unwelcome at their table and having trouble processing everything she had heard, Dar'mee slipped in the back towards the cistern. Instead of entering, though, she stood off to the side in the shadows, thinking and trying not to be sick.

Had Brynjolf been with every woman in the guild or what? Every woman but her, it would seem. He hardly flirted with her at all anymore, having turned all business once she had joined and rarely even speaking to her beyond necessity. She told herself that she needed to accept that he just wasn't interested in a Khajiit. Most humans weren't, after all, especially Nords. Not that she could blame them, because she wasn't usually interested in humans, either. No, she needed to get over this silly infatuation, the sooner the better. Blinking her eyes furiously, she straightened herself and entered the cistern.

She decided to head to the practice room and work off some of her frustration. Surely destroying a straw dummy would be preferable to destroying her female guildmates. Sapphire had already claimed one of the dummies and was busy hurling herself at it, but otherwise the room was empty.

Ten minutes later, the man she was trying to avoid even thinking of walked into the room. She studiously ignored him, preferring to continue practicing and maybe convince herself that he didn't exist. He passed her by anyway, walking up to Sapphire and talking to her. She couldn't hear what they were saying and in her distraction, dropped one of her daggers. Turning to pick it up, she caught a glimpse of Sapphire in Brynjolf's arms.

Her stomach clenched and she grabbed her dagger hastily, not wanting to see or remain in the room an instant longer. She dashed out of the room, not realizing that Sapphire and Brynjolf had separated and were watching her go, puzzled.

As she slipped out of the graveyard and into the night, she caught a glimpse of the statue of Talos in the corner. She hurried over and sat behind the shrine, trying desperately not to cry. Wrapping her tail around her, she curled up and quietly sobbed into her knees.

She wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there when she heard a twig snap. Instantly her whole body went on alert, all emotions forgotten. She shifted into a crouch and looked in the direction of the noise. A tall shadow was nearing her, and she fingered the hilts of her daggers, ready in case of trouble.

"Easy lass, it's just me," rumbled a familiar voice, just as she recognized him through the bushes. Her body relaxed, although her mind was more anxious than ever. She turned her face away from him, frantically wiping away the evidence of her tears as he sat down beside her.

"Dar'mee?" he queried, reaching out and gently turning her face towards him. "Are you okay?" He slowly let his fingers drop, although not without stroking her cheek first. His touch was like fire to her, but she dared not show it. Not trusting herself to speak, she just nodded as she turned to him.

He was watching her closely, or as closely as a Nord could watch someone at night. She stared back, wondering why he had come out to see her. As if in response, he sighed and glanced up at the statue of Talos, silhouetted against the moons. "Lass, I...well, this is embarrassing. Ah, I'm all tongue-tied again..." Wondering what could possibly lead the normally well-poised man to babble, she waited patiently.

He took her hand and held it, stroking her palm with his thumb. Her heart raced and she held her breath, intrigued. He murmured something she didn't quite catch. At least, she didn't believe she had heard it; surely he didn't actually call her beautiful? Not her, with her fur and her tail and-

His lips met hers, and her thoughts slammed to a halt instantaneously. He pulled her closer to him as she returned his kiss passionately. Hesitantly at first, she put one hand on his side, then the other, finally wrapping her arms around him just before they broke the kiss.

"I've been wanting to do that since I met you," he admitted gruffly. "You're special to me, lass." She smiled at him and leaned her head on his chest, feeling a bit shy. "I know I don't exactly inspire trust...but I truly care about _you_, no matter what I've done in the past. Will you give an old thief a chance?" he asked apprehensively, getting quieter as he neared the end of his speech.

Still smiling, she answered him happily, "Of course," and kissed him again, curling her tail around them.


End file.
